St. Mary's Catholic Church was founded on May 25, 1962 under the leadership of the pastor, Father John W. Rea. The first parishioners came from the neighboring parish, St. Bridget. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Bishop John H. Russell stated that this new parish was the namesake of many of the other historic churches in the diocese. He named St. Mary's in Alexandria (1798), the first permanent Catholic Church in Virginia, St. Mary's in Norfolk (1858) and the old St. Mary's in Richmond, which was the city's second Catholic Church.

Bishop Russell dedicated the first church on July 18, 1964, along with a four-classroom education unit, which was first used for religious education and then became the parochial school. On September 16, 1966, St. Mary's School opened its doors to 190 students with Sister Michael Maria as its first principal. Almost immediately, it became necessary to increase the size of the school building. Construction began, and in December of 1967, Bishop Russell returned to dedicate the addition of six classrooms and a library.

During the ensuing years, the number of parishioners at St. Mary's continued to grow. Between 1983 and 1984 a new Church was designed and constructed to accommodate the growing parish family. On September 23, 1984, Bishop Walter F. Sullivan dedicated the new Church and Commons area. The original church building became the gymnasium and parish hall.

Continued growth in Mass attendance, school enrollment, Christian Formation and a variety of other church ministries required an expansion of facilities. The pressing need for classrooms was met by the addition of the middle school wing, completed in August of 1997. By enclosing the space between the church offices and the lower level of the school, a large meeting room called the lower commons was created.

The need to expand the church and add even more classrooms was postponed for several additional years. Finally, in the fall of 2005, work began on the present church which is capable of seating 1,000. The former Worship Space was converted into a Commons providing a large and attractive gathering space for fellowship following weekend liturgies and, because of its size, is used for large meetings. Soon after the dedication of the Church on September 13, 2007, parish leadership finalized plans with the Architect, Marcellus Wright & Cox and the general contractor, Daniel & Company to begin construction of the 100 seat daily Mass Chapel.

From its inception, St. Mary's has been a vibrant and active community. The spiritual growth and development of the parish is evident not only in the many church ministries which serve parishioners, but also inthe outreach ministries which serve the wider community. The vibrant and successful school and many formation programs for adults, youth and children attest to our commitment to the imporotance of Catholic education and formation. As we approach our Silver anniversary, we are mindful of the many who sacrificed to make this church the beacon of hope and home of faith that it is for so many Richmonders.

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Parish Facilities

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